Ignition apparatus for multiple engines



J. LAHIFF. IGNITION APPARATUS FOR MULTIPLE ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED OCT, 27, 1916- HENEWED JULY 2h 192]. 1,409,730. Patented 1922- I \wy/ i mi;

of circuit terminals 4,

Application filed October 27, 1916, Serial No. 128,084. Renewed July 21, 1921.

PATENT OFFICE.

' UNITED STATES JAMES LAHIFF, 0E LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS.

IGNITION APPARATUS FOR MULTIPLE ENGINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES Lanirr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leavenworth, in the county of Leavenworth and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ignition Apparatus for Multiple Engines, of which the following is a. specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for effecting the ignition of erplosive charges in internal combustion multiple cylinder engines.

The object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which will have operative arts that are more durable than are those of devices inthis class heretofore made, and yet which will be simple in construction and relationship and can be cheaply made.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view indicating parts of an automobile engine, together with the coil, thebattery circuit and other devices, by which ignition sparks are generated in the cylinders, successively;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the outer element of the commutating and timing device detached and on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the timer and commutator;

Figs. 4 and 5 are end views of the outer element;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rotary element of the commutator and timer;

Figs. 7 and Bare end views.

. In the drawings I have shown the form of the timer and commutator which I, at present, prefer, but it will be understood that there can be modifications without departing from the essential features of the invention.

A indicates the outerelement of the timing and commutating device, and B the inner element.

The outer element is a hollow or cup-like casing having the side cylindrical part 1, the closed end 2, and the upper flanged mouth part 3. It is provided with a series 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. The terminal 9 is in a-transverse plane near the open end 3. The terminals 5, 6, 7 and 8 are positioned so asto be equi-distant around thercylinder and lie in a transverse plane near the. closed end 2. The terminal 4 is, at the axis of the cylinder, projecting .slightly thrmrgh the closed end 2. The,

Specification of Letters Patent.

terminals 5, 6, 7 and 8 also are rigid with, but project respectively a short distance through, the lateral wall.

The main body parts of the elements A and B. it will be understood, are made of any suitable insulating material.

The terminal 9 projects somewhat beyond the inner surface of the part A, extending sufficiently far to present an available contact. By preference, its contacting point 10 is yielding, the contact part being shown as held in normal position by a spring 11. both the spring and the point being adjust able by means of the outward projecting threaded part 12 which serves also as a binding screw.

The internal part B of the timer and commutator has the insulating body part 13 which is elongated sufficiently to extend from a transverse plane near the closed end 2 of the cup part A to a plane at or near the surface of the open end part 3. This element B, it will be seen, can be a simple cylinder. It is recessed near its upper end to receive the contacts ll, 15, 16 and 17 which are imbedded in the insulation. lVhen the parts are in normal relation, the contacts 14: to 17, inclusive, rotate in the tralnsverse planes of the contact 10 of termina 9.

At the inner end of the rotary element B there is a conductor section 18 having a terminal at 19, which contacts with the terminal 4-, and it terminates in a contact at 20 which rotates in the plane of the terminals 5, 6, 7 and 8.

The rotary element B is connected to a suitable carrying and driving device which will time its rotations properly in relation to the explosions in the cylinders. It can be attached directly to the end of the engine shaft 2a, itself, which, of course, insures proper timing and rotation. Thev part B is shown as formed with a socket 25 at its outer end adapted to receive the end of the shaft 24. At 26 there is a pin, screw, or equivalent, which fastens together the part B and the shaft. The contact terminals 14;, 15, 16 and 17 are preferably made integral with a central hub or ring 27 which fits tightly to, and contacts with, the shaft 2ft, and, therefore, as terminals of an electric conductor, these contactsare grounded.

The current can be supplied to the circuits from any preferred source of generatlon.

tration of a batter D, composed of one or more cells at 21. his is connected by wire 22* to the commutator and by wire 22 to the primary element of the transformer or spark-producing devices E, either directly or through the interrupting devices combined with such coils. The out wire 22 from this element is indicated as grounded. From one of the terminals of the secondary element of the coil a lead wire 23 is taken to the terminal 4 of the timer and commutator, above described, and the other wire 3* from the secondary element of the coil is taken to ground.

The engine is indicated, as a whole, by C, and is shown as comprising four cylin ders, a, c and 03. Each of these is provided with a sparking device, such as one of the plugs-ordinarily used, one side of each plug being grounded. 5 6 7 and 8 are circuit wires connecting the insulated side of each plug with the terminals 5, 6, 7, and 8, respectively, of the timer and commutator.

The operation of the devices above described will be readily understood. When the engine shaft is rotating, the primary circuit is closed and opened by the commutating terminals at 14, 15, 16 and 17 as they successively contact with the terminals 9, the current passing from the battery through the primary path to ground and from the battery through the commutator to ground.

The contact 20 is, in respect to its angular travel relatively to the terminals 5, 6, 7 and positioned the same as the terminal 9 is in relation to the contacts 14 to 17, inclusive. Consequently, at the same instant that one of the terminals 14 to 17 is contacting with the terminal at 9, one of the terminals 5 to 8, inclusive, is contacting with the terminal 20. Hence, a current at the time of each contact with the terminal 9 is passing from the secondary element of the spark apparatus to the spark plug in the corresponding cylinder of the series. 7

It will be seen that I have reduced the wiring and the terminals of this class to an exceedinglysimple form. There are but two wires'leading from the sparking apparatus .to the timer and commutator. From the latter there are four'short wire sections, only, leading from the secondary commutator to thesp'ark apparatus. I-efi'ect the explosions in'all of the cylinders by a single l coil and a single generator element.

' rent to "each Heretofore the lgniting mechanisms for engines have, in most cases, comprised a spark-generating appaeach of the cylinders, the ignition being caused by supplying secondary curof the several sparking devices from a generating apparatus independently of all the other sparking devices which supply sparkers of the other cylinders. Not only have all the earlier mechanisms of this class been objectionable on account of the multiplicity in the current circuit sections leading back and forth from each of a large number of terminals to another or others, but it has also been found impracticable to maintain a uniformity in the delivery of the igniting currents. If one spark-generating apparatus should become low in its efficiency, the engine may continue running, but it will do so with lack of efficiency and to great disadvantage; and the operator may not become aware of the faulty action in some one of the sparking apparatus for a long time after such action commences to occur; or if he reaches a general conclusion that there is a fault in' the ignition it is difficult to locate the source of trouble.

With a mechanism such as that herein described for timing and commutating the currents, uniformity of action is maintained throughout the series of igniting devices. If any imperfection in the occurs at any point, all of the cylinders are equally affected, and the operators judgment is quickly led to the source of trouble in the timer and commutator.

I am aware that it has been proposed to substitute single spark-generating apparatus and to so commutate the currents as to suppl sparks to the cylinders successively therefrom. But I believe myself to be the first to have designed theexceedingly simple devices which are herein presented for this purpose.

I have herein shown a multiple cylinder engine having four cylinders. And for brevity, I have described above, and in the claim have referred to, the engine as having four cylinders. But it will be understood that such terms are used merely for convenience in description, as the essential features of improvement are as applicable to a multiple cylinder engine having any other number of cylinders, as two, three, six, or more.

At 30 the device is indicated to which the lever or link is connected by which the driver can vary the sparking points as desired.

What I claim is:

The herein described commutator and timing device, having in combination with the engine shaft an inner rotary insulating cup secured to the shaft and formed with an exterior cylindrical surface, a rotary circuit section secured to said cup and having a yielding" resilient contact projecting through said cylindrical surface and a yielding resilient contact at the shaft axis, a metallic commutator=disk fitted tightly to the shaft and having four integral terminal contact points extended radially beyond the work of igniting having a cylindrical inner surface concentrio with but spaced apart from the cylindrical exterior surface of the rotary insulater, said outer insulating cup having a resilient yielding contact terminal inserted through its Wall in the plane of saicl projecting commutator points, and having an axially central fixed terminal contacting with the central resilient contact of the rotary circuit section and contacts in its Wall for the engine leacl Wires, positioned in the 10 plane of the resilient rotary contact, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES LAHIFF.

Witnesses N. CURTIS LAMMOND, GEORGE E. EDELIN. 

